NEWS Oliver Larsson, a doctoral student at the Department of Computing Science, Umeå University, has been selected to participate in the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences' Student Council. "It's a unique opportunity to bring a younger perspective to debates at high level in society. Personally, I have always enjoyed getting involved where there is an opportunity to make a difference. I am honoured, says Oliver Larsson.
"It feels good that I can contribute my perspective as a young engineer and researcher in northern Sweden", says Oliver Larsson, doctoral student at the Department of Computing Science, and new representative in IVA.
ImageLarssonThe Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) brings together expertise and experience from around 1,300 Academy members and 250 companies. For more than 100 years, it has been a meeting place that support humanity's capacity to contribute positively to society through the engineering and economic science. Now, Oliver Larsson, a doctoral student at the Department of Computing Science, has been chosen to represent Umeå University in the Academy's Student Council.
"Only those with long experience and a proven impact on societal development are selected as members of the IVA, and younger perspectives tend to be missing. This is why the Student Council was formed. For me, it is important to contribute my perspective as a young engineer and researcher in northern Sweden. This is a demographic that has historically been underrepresented in these forums, says Oliver Larsson.
IVA carries out activities that are important for the development of Sweden. The Academy works in various forums on issues relating to knowledgde, future business, climate, resources and energy. "The northern parts of Sweden is central to much of the technological development and there is a great need for sharp engineering expertise. There are incredible opportunities to develop both technology and society if we take advantage of this, and also make it more attractive for a young engineer to move up in the country. It feels good that I, as a representative of the north of Sweden, can participate in raising these issues", says Oliver Larsson.
IVA's student council brings together 13 engineering and economic student and doctoral students from Sweden's universities and colleges, and the level of ambition is high. "We are just about to start work on a major project that we intend to implement in the coming year. We believe it can have a really positive impact on the future development of technology in Sweden", says Oliver Larsson.
The Student Council meets eight times a year and a weekend conference takes place every semester. In addition to his involvement in IVA, Oliver Larsson is also part of the Autonomous Distributed Systems Lab research group, where he is doing his doctoral thesis. "Autonomous systems can make their own decision and use AI to analyse data. Distributed systems consist of multiple computers or devices that work together to solve a task. This combination leads to systems such as self-driving cars and smart energy systems", Oliver Larsson explains.
Looking ahead, Oliver Larsson hopes that the Student Council will give him an opportunity to develop both personally and professionally. Above all, he is looking forward to getting to know and learn from the experiences and wisdom of the elected Academy members.
"This is a community of people I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise, and their collective experience is unrivalled by any other group in the technology sector. IVA is an incredible platform to influence for the better, and I really want to take advantage of that opportunity," Larssons says.
Read more about The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) here.
